Grim Adventures of Death
by Canoe98
Summary: Billy and Mandy have started their first year in High School, and they haven't changed a bit. Billy is still...well, Billy. And Mandy is still the brooding, manipulative, cunning, cynical individual she's always been. But when a mysterious individual is sent to their world, how will the two react? What's even more strange is that he isn't phased by Grim in the least. T for language
1. Chapter 1: Fade Away

**Grim Adventures of Death**

Disclaimer: (these are so annoying) I don't own anything of _Death note_ or _The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. _The rights to these characters are solely owned by their creators.

Chapter 1: Fade Away

A white-haired boy laid down on a blood stained floor. He silently stared up at the flickering lights as their monotonous illumination irritated his vision. He sluggishly turned his head to see a neatly folded piece of paper a few feet from his outstretched arm. The paper was on fire and the edges slowly began to be covered in a black, charcoal-like color due to the embers. It was burning and would soon be destroyed, but this is what he wanted. His eyes shifted to look at the large gash that plastered his chest; blood seeped out from the wound in large quantities. He said nothing, instead he merely thought to himself, 'I never knew how pretty the color of blood was…...how beautiful.'

His vision slowly began to darken, and his eyes closed as his consciousness waned. Then, he was dead.

**A Few Minutes Before:**

Nate River, otherwise known as Near, quietly sat on the floor close to a window that revealed the outside night sky. He carefully placed the final piece of the puzzle into its proper position; he stared at the large white puzzle set that was before him and he sighed.

He tended to enjoy the process of working on puzzles...it was fun, however the greatest feeling usually came from fully completing the task itself. The 13 year old child silently stood up and glanced out past the window; the room overlooked the surrounding area, providing a wonderful view of the city bellow. He took in the picture, hoping to remember it; to memorize it; to ingrain it into his very soul. But what was the point?

He never felt like he had a place in this world. It was always too limiting. He knew it was childish, but he yearned for someone whom he could call 'friend' - an individual who he could have a genuine relationship with; a relationship with no strings attached. He may have never admitted it, but L was the closest thing to a friend that Near ever had. No, not a friend - a brother. But L had been dead for what seemed like so long now. It hurt to think about him; it hurt to remember him.

Near sighed once again as he read a nearby digital clock that displayed the time: 11:58 pm. He solemnly pulled a single sheet of paper from his pocket a stared at the words that had been scribbled on it:

_Nate River will be attacked directly by the Shinigami who owns this notebook on March 13th at 11:59 am. He will die due to blood loss at exactly 12:00 am._

He then folded the piece of paper and placed it back into his pocket. The notebook that the sheet of paper belonged to had basically been destroyed, but he had removed the sheet before the book's destruction. It would be fine, though; he planned on destroying this piece as well.

Near walked out into what seemed to be a living room of sorts and stood feet away from a quietly burning fireplace. He had rented this room the night before and had gotten the authorization from his superiors, although none of them knew what he was truly planning. A singular thought suddenly manifested in his head.

'Would anyone even care if I was gone?"

Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice from behind him. He turned to see a tall, thin figure emerge from a wall.

"Ryuk," Near stated with an even tone, "it is once again a pleasure to see you."

"Near…" the Shinigami muttered as he slowly approached the boy, "it's been quite a while."

"Do you know why I have summoned you here?" Near asked.

"You want me to kill you," Ryuk answered.

Near nodded, "That is correct. But I clarified that I want you to do it 'directly', meaning without the aid of any death note."

"What?" Ryuk questioned, sounding somewhat startled, "Why would I do that? It's against the rules of the Shinigami. Do you know what will happen if I kill a human without any Death Note? The punishment would be steep!"

"Indeed," Near quickly answered, "however, the rule only specifies the fact that the Shinigami responsible for such actions shall be punished accordingly. It mentions nothing of what will happen when it is at the request of the human, or more specifically, at the request of the current holder of the notebook. In essence, it can be argued that I am 'forcing' you to do this."

There was a momentary silence that filled the room before the apple-loving Shinigami finally spoke.

"B-but there's no way you can know for sure," Ryuk said nervously, "there are way too many uncertainties in that scenario. I-I can't...I WON'T!"

Near gave the Shinigami an emotionless glance before he reached for the piece of paper in his pocket.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but it appears there is no other option" he said as he showed Ryuk the piece of paper, "do you know what this is?"

Ryuk hesitated a moment before he answered, "well, it looks like a piece of my death notebook."

"Yes," Near replied, "this sheet of paper is the only remaining physical piece of the death note; the rest of it has all been destroyed."

Ryuk didn't say anything and instead carefully listened to the white-haired teen.

"This is the only thing that keeps you in this realm. I know how much you like it here, or more importantly, how much you DON'T want to return to the Shinigami realm. This piece of paper is your anchor to this world and therefore is my main means of controlling you."

"Pffft. So what!" Ryuk nonchalantly said with a dismissive wave, "What are you gonna do with it?"

Near said nothing as he turned his back to the Shinigami and walked towards the open fireplace; he leaned forward slightly with his outstretched arm holding the paper.

"WAIT!" Ryuk yelled, "wh-what are you doing? Burning it in fire won't do anything so long as the note holder is still alive!"

"Yes, that is true," Near said without sounding surprised, "but I came here to die tonight. Do you really believe I wouldn't be willing to do it myself if this didn't work?"

"Near, wait!" Ryuk screamed.

"Farewell, Shinigami," Near muttered as he released his grip on the paper.

The folded sheet slowly fluttered down closer to the flames.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Ryuk yelled as he rushed toward the fireplace.

Almost immediately, Near stepped in front of it, blocking Ryuk from passing.

"MOVE HUMAN!" Ryuk snarled as he got closer.

In a fit of rage, Ryuk hit Near away from the fireplace and into a nearby wall. Ryuk froze in his tracks as he stared at the lifeless boy's body. 'No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no! What have I done?' Ryuk thought to himself.

"Ah, interesting," a voice said coming from the body. Near was alive, barely. There three deep cuts that adorned his chest as he struggled to stand up. Thick pools of blood were already forming on the carpet floor.

"I didn't...urggg... know those claws of yours could...uggh...do so much damage, Ryuk. It….hurts alot, but this is all going...according to plan," Near said through gritted teeth. His groaning was somewhat overshadowed by the small smile that covered his face.

"D-damn it! What did you make me do? I have to get out of here!" Ryuk said as he quickly flew up and phased through the ceiling.

Near got down on his knees, struggling through the pain, and eventually laid his body fully on the carpet floor. He noticed the folded piece of notebook paper a few feet from him; although it must have missed most of the fire, some of the sparking embers had gotten to it. Now it was decorated by a small flame that was slowly growing.

'Soon the notebook will cease to exist…..like me. We shall both fade away, and the world will live on without us….

End of chapter 1

Author's Note: Hey guys, tbh I don't know if starting a completely new story is a good idea, given that I haven't been focusing on my other stories for a while. But I was recently inspired by some Death Note fanfiction as well as some Billy and Mandy fanfic, so I decided that I wanted to somehow combine these two universes. This first chapter is probably the hardest to write, mainly because I had to get caught up on all of the "rules" in Death Note so that I could write something that at least made sense. Anyway, if you liked this chapter, please comment. If you thought I missed a Death Note rule, please let me know, because this anime has soooo much lore and background that it's not even funny. Thanks! :D


	2. Chapter 2: Almost Dead

**Chapter 2: Almost Dead**

Darkness surrounded him as he floated in what seemed like a sea of nothingness; his body was weightless. Was he dead? How long has it been since he last saw light? He was conscious, that was for sure, his thoughts were vibrant and clear.

'Where am I? Am I dead? Is this death?'

His head became full of questions that sporadically moved and shifted throughout his mind. His body was stiff and refused to move.

Suddenly, Near realised that he couldn't feel anything; although there was nothing to touch, he found it impossible to even sense his limbs - almost as if his entire body was numb. His surroundings were neither hot nor cold, it was more like the atmosphere itself was void of any sensations whatsoever. What's more, he couldn't hear anything, not even his own heartbeat.

He couldn't see, he couldn't move, he couldn't hear, he couldn't even feel.

The boy began to detect a distinct emotion that he hadn't experienced before - fear. No, not fear - dread.

'Is this all there is?' he thought to himself, 'Is this what death is like?'

He was asking no one in particular, and his thoughts eventually fell silent.

Some time passed, he didn't know how much, but Near saw what seemed to be a small circle of light that emanated from within a singular point off in the distance of the black abyss. Although the light was somewhat dim, it was a welcomed change to the bleak and eternal expanse of darkness that he was experiencing.

The light itself seemed to be getting larger, as if the source was expanding or somehow getting closer. Soon, Near could make out something in the center of the light, a medium-sized black shape that was becoming more clear as he got closer. The shape began to take form as Near squinted his eyes in an attempt to see farther.

Eventually, Near could make out some clear features of the figure within the light. The figure was somewhat humanoid in stature and body-type, and its posture was indicative of a being that was possibly intelligent. The figure was sitting in a large chair, or rather - a throne, that was stationed directly in the center of a circle of light that rested upon the surrounding floor. The being itself was very thin, almost bone-like, as it motionlessly sat in its seat.

The closer he got, the more Near could see of the thin figure. Its head was similar to that of a skull, except for the fact that it was golden in color and had been adorned with various forms of jewelry. The body looked like that of a skeleton, and, similar to the head, was golden and was decorated with jewelry of varying colors and sizes.

"A HUMAN IN THIS REALM IS QUITE IRREGULAR," the skeleton-like figure suddenly boomed, "THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT YOUR DEATH, BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT THAT DON'T YOU, NATE RIVER?"

Near simply stared at the being before him until he realized that he hadn't yet attempted to speak.

"I assume you are a shinigami, yes?" Near replied in a neutral tone.

"INDEED, WHO KNEW HUMANS COULD BE SO SMART," the shinigami stated sarcastically with a chuckle, "YOU ARE CORRECT, I AM A SHINIGAMI; HOWEVER, YOU MAY REFER TO ME AS 'ARMONIA JUSTIN BEYONDORMASON'."

Ignoring the initial sarcasm behind the skeleton's voice, Near said, "I suppose i'm dead then. As far I understand it, your rules prohibit shinigami from directly killing human beings, yes?(as in without a death note) It has come to my attention that there is a possible loophole to this rule: although it is clear that the shinigami responsible for this 'crime' is subject to severe punishment, it is not specified what happens to the human once said crime has occured."

The shinigami, now known as Armonia, remained silent as he carefully listened to the teenager's words.

"YOU SPEAK WITH WISDOM AND INTELLIGENCE, NATE RIVER. IF YOU ARE SO CURIOUS AS TO WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HUMAN THEN I WILL TELL YOU: THE RULES DICTATE THAT ONCE A HUMAN BEING DIES, HE/SHE WILL GO TO MU."

"'Mu'?," Near simply questioned.

"YES, MU," Armonia maintained, "IT IS THE EPITOME OF 'NOTHINGNESS', THE PLACE WHERE 'NOTHING' IS. IN OTHER WORDS, ONCE HUMANS DIE, THEY SIMPLY CEASE TO EXIST."

"...I see," Near said in a solemn tone, "that is quite sad; however, I do not fully intend to die just yet."

'YOU HAVE NO CHOICE, BOY! YOUR FATE IS SEALED!" the shinigami's voice boomed.

"I don't doubt that your rules are absolute; however, it mentions nothing about the response for this particular situation, does it? That's why i'm not dead yet; that's why I haven't 'ceased to exist'. Your rules simply dictate that the human dies ONLY in the case where the shinigami to commited the crime did so of his own volition, correct? Well, I am going to argue exactly why Ryuk did not truly break any of your rules."

There was a slight pause before Armonia finally spoke, "...I SEE. VERY WELL, PRESENT YOUR ARGUMENT. IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HAVE HAD ENTERTAINMENT. CONTINUE, HUMAN."

Near let out a small sigh before he looked the shinigami in the eyes and proceeded to speak, "Ryuk had no choice in the matter. The rules primarily refer to shinigami who commit the crimes due to some personal vendetta. Ryuk did so because it was MEANT to happen."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? RYUK CLEARLY KILLED YOU BECAUSE HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO SAVE THE FINAL PAGE OF HIS DEATH NOTEBOOK. WOULD YOU NOT CALL THAT A SHINIGAMI'S FREE CHOICE TO COMMIT A CRIME DUE TO A 'PERSONAL VENDETTA?" the skeleton spoke once more.

"It is true that Ryuk attacked me, but you mustn't forget that the situation that occured was primarily due to what had been written in the death note. 'Whatever is written in the death note WILL come true', there's no denying that. Ryuk may have committed the crime, but I can guarantee that it was the power of the death note that influenced his actions."

Armonia seemed to pause, lost in thought, as he silently stared at the white-haired teen. Several minutes seemed to pass as the shinigami continued to mull the situation over in his own mind, contemplating each point that Near had made. Finally, the skeleton-like figure opened his mouth to speak.

"I MUST ADMIT THAT YOUR POINTS ARE QUITE STRONG AND WELL-THOUGHT OUT, HUMAN. YOU REASON WITH EXPERIENCE. THEREFORE, I SHALL ACCEPT YOUR ARGUMENT; I HEREBY DISBAND THE PUNISHMENT IN REGARDS TO THE SHINIGAMI KNOWN AS RYUK, AND THE HUMAN INVOLVED IN THE CRIME SHALL BE - TRANSFERRED!"

"Transferred? What do you mean?" Near questioned with confusion written all over his face.

"ACCORDING TO THE NATURAL LAWS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANY BEING TO BE RETURNED FROM DEATH TO THE ORIGINAL REALM WHERE IT DIED. THEREFORE, THE ONLY OPTION LEFT IS TO TRANSFER THE SOUL OF THE BEING TO A REALM WHERE IT HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY EXISTED IN. HOWEVER, YOUR CASE IS SOMEWHAT...SPECIAL. SINCE YOUR SOUL HAS NOT YET BEEN DESTROYED OR SENT TO MU, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR YOUR TRANSFER TO OCCUR WITHOUT THE AID OF A SOURCE TO KEEP YOU SECURE WITHIN THE REALM."

"A source to keep me secure'?" Near repeated in wonderment, "You mean, something that functions like an anchor to keep me within that realm?"

"INDEED, YOU CATCH ON FAST, HUMAN. THESE 'SOURCES' OFFER CONTINUOUS STREAMS TO ENERGY TO THE HOST (I.E - YOU) TO ENSURE THAT THE BEING PHYSICALLY REMAINS WITHIN THE REALM. HOWEVER, THE ONLY BEINGS THAT CAN FUNCTION AS 'SOURCES' ARE SHINIGAMI, AND THERE ARE ONLY A SELECT FEW SHINIGAMI WHO CAN DO SO EFFECTIVELY. DO NOT WORRY, THOUGH, I SHALL FIND ONE IMMEDIATELY."

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the shinigami disappeared.

Near continued to float motionlessly in the darkness yet again. Time was so difficult to measure in that place, so Near had no idea how long he was levitating within the darkness. The seconds were turning into minutes, minutes were turning into hours, and Near had a sinking suspicion that he might be going insane. If there was such a place as hell, this was probably it; nothing but darkness.

Just then, there was another flash of light and Armonia had appeared once more in his throne like before; however, this time there was something that was different. Standing next to the throne was what appeared to be another shinigami. There was nothing terribly noticeable about it when compared to the others that Near had seen. It wore a long black robe that sank down all the way to the floor, covering the feet from view. There was a large hood that rested firmly upon its head, partially obscuring its face; but even with the cape, Near could tell that its face looked very much like a skull. Long, draping sleeves covered the bony arms of the shinigami; one arm was firmly grasping a tall scythe that was about the same height as the figure.

"THIS ONE SHALL BE YOUR HOST," Armonia bellowed, gesturing to Near.

The other shinigami merely looked at Near before slightly nodding his head. The figure then moved closer to Near until they were practically at eye level.

It was then that Near realized two things: 1) The cloaked figure was much taller than he originally thought, about 6'6 judging by where the floor was, and 2) for the entire time he was there, he must've only been floating about a foot and a half from the ground.

Near's thoughts were soon put on hold once the robe-wearing shinigami outstretched his hand to Near. The white-haired boy looked to Armonia in confusion.

"HE WANTS YOU TO SHAKE HIS HAND," the shinigami in the throne said, "THE ONLY WAY TO INITIATE THE PROCESS IS THROUGH PHYSICAL CONTACT. HE WANTS TO SHARE HIS SPIRITUAL POWER WITH YOU; IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO BOND WITH A LONE SOUL LIKE YOURSELF."

"I see," Near said as he took ahold of the bony hand.

Suddenly, his palm felt like it was on fire, and there was a bright, purple glow that emanated from the contact point between him and the cloaked shinigami. The glow turned into a bright light that began to expand and engulfed his hand.

"What is this?!" Near yelled out in alarm.

"WORRY NOT, HUMAN," Armonia said in his deep voice, "THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR. THE SOUL TRANSFERENCE IS TAKING PLACE. HE HAS JUST TAKEN THE POSITION OF YOUR 'SOURCE'. IN A FEW MOMENTS, YOUR SOUL SHALL BE TRANSFERRED TO A NEW REALM. FAREWELL, NATE RIVER."

With that being said, the purple light fully engulfed Near and the cloaked shinigami until the light suddenly disappeared and Near was gone.

**End of chapter 2**

Author's Note: Finally! I got this one done. A whole lot of this chapter was just mainly setting up the rest of the story by explaining how Near was transferred to another world. Although I had to essentially make up a few rules that aren't cannon to death note(like the soul transfer thing), a lot of the other rules are actually true( I even had to research some of them). Due to the fact that Near is probably my most favorite character from Death Note, i'm going to be focusing on him A LOT throughout this story. Anyways, if you liked this chapter, please leave a comment (either telling me what I did wrong, or telling me what you liked about it). Thanks! :)


	3. Chapter 3: A new place for a new soul

**Chapter 3: A new place for a new soul**

Near felt a strange sensation as the light fully engulfed his body. He felt like he was falling, and it became somewhat harder to breathe. His head was swirling and his mind quickly became clouded with fuzzy and incoherent thoughts. He tightly closed his eyes in an effort to calm himself, but his mind was racing. Then, suddenly, everything stopped.

Near slowly opened his eyes, although he wasn't sure what to expect. He was quietly surprised at what he saw.

He stood in the center of a small cul de sac and looked around. He appeared to be located in a somewhat small suburban neighborhood with various houses lined along side the streets. Each building was oddly box-like in structure and the each house was adorned with trees that graced almost every lawn. The sky maintained a sickly greenish-grey color as if it had been contaminated by years of pollution.

Near scanned the area, taking in the new scenery and silently wondered where he was. Before he could speak, the shinigami in the cloak beat him to it, "ughhh, finally! I really hate having to talk to dat guy. He gives me da creeps!"

Near's eyes slightly widened in surprise at the shinigami's unusual speech pattern; his accent sounded jamaican, which was already something that the white-haired boy wasn't prepared for.

"Excuse me," Near began, facing the skull-faced shinigami, "are you referring to Armonia Justin Beyondormason, by any chance?"

"Yeah!" the shinigami exclaimed, "dat guy is just always so creepy. I mean, I know dat we're all basically reapers of death at da end of da day, but would it kill him to maybe crack a smile once in a while?"

Near watched as the cloaked shinigami sighed and headed onto the sidewalk.

"Follow me, boy," he said as he glanced back at Near, "I'll take ya to my house."

Near said nothing but joined the reaper in his walk down the cemented path.

"Hey, boy, what's ya name anyway? It would probably make 'tings easier if I knew your name; it's better dan calling ya 'boy' all da time."

Near paused for a second and hesitated before he answered the scythe-wielding shinigami; he deliberated over whether or not he should reveal his true name. He came to the conclusion that it would probably be better to withhold certain bits of information.

"My name is….Near," he finally said, although he was fairly sure that the pause gave him away.

"Oh ok," the shinigami said, apparently not noticing Near's hesitation, "well 'Near', you can call me Grim."

"Grim…" Near quietly repeated to himself.

The two of them continued down the sidewalk until Grim finally turned left down a smaller path that lead up to a single white house. The house was fairly normal; the lawn was clean and well-kept, aside from some stray blades of dead grass. The roof was a light shade of brown, and just above the edge of the roof, Near spotted the top of a chimney.

Near nonchalantly examined the rows of bushes that ran parallel to the walls next to the front door as he followed the shinigami to the white residence. Grim casually walked up to the house and firmly gripped the yellow knob; he then pulled the door open (with a surprising amount of force) and gingerly walked inside. Near followed closely behind, careful to politely shut the door behind him.

He then watched as Grim lazily walked over to a sofa and flopped down onto the cushions. The cloak-wearing reaper reached for the nearby remote and eagerly pressed a button; he slumped back into the sofa and watched the TV screen.

Near emotionlessly stared at the shinigami, almost as if he was expecting something else to happen. After a few more moments of quietly waiting, the white-haired teen soon shifted his attention to the rest of the room.

The internal structure of the house was just as normal as the outside; the walls were plain in terms of color and there was little to no decoration on any of the furniture. The only things that stuck out to Near were various picture frames with photos in them that were positioned on the refrigerator door.

Near calmly approached the image and looked at the individuals in the picture. On the far left was a woman, possibly in her mid-30s, who had blonde hair and blue eyes; she wore an orange turtle neck along with an olive-green pair of pants. To the far right was a man, maybe slightly older than the first woman, who had clean-cut brown hair and orange glasses; he wore a white open dress shirt along with black pants.

Initially, Near thought it was just a simple family photo, but as he continued to look at the picture, he noticed something that caught his eye. In the center of the two other individuals was a young girl, whom Near thought was most likely the daughter. She had blonde hair that was adorned with a black headband, and her pink dress was decorated with a yellow flower in the center; her appearance seemed somewhat normal.

But it wasn't her clothes that made Near stop and look closer, it was her face. The girl bore a dark scowl; her somewhat thick eyebrows rested heavily on top of her brow, and her mouth was morphed into an irritated frown.

As Near continued to stare, he heard Grim slowly get up from the sofa.

"Near," he called out, "what are ya doin'? C'mon over here. I can't have ya go wanderin' off! Armonia would surely get mad at me!"

Near looked at some of the other pictures that were on the refrigerator door. There were some other pictures of the parents (an even one of a dog), but he couldn't see the girl in any of them.

Grim walked over to Near and joined him next to the refrigerator.

"Ah! It seems ya found pictures of Mandy's family," Grim said, noticing that Near had been looking at the images.

"Mandy?" Near questioned with a slightly raised eyebrow, "you know this girl?"

"Yeah, she's da most cruel being dat iv'e ever met…...and dats saying someting," Grim said with crossed arms.

"She and Billy have been a pain in my bones for a long time," he concluded.

"Her and who?" Near asked.

"Billy," Grim said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Near looked back at the refrigerator, "so, then, i'm assuming that due to these pictures, we are in this 'Mandy's' house right now, correct?"

"Yes, dat is correct," Grim confirmed.

"Why?" Near simply asked.

"Well, because dis is where you are goin' ta be stayin' for da time bein'," Grim said without looking at the white-haired teen.

"I see. Are the residents of this house aware of this?" Near questioned again.

"Nope," Grim said before he opened the fridge, "i'm hungry. What do they have? Let's see….oh! By de way, Billy and Mandy will be back from school by 4 o'clock, so feel free ta just relax until den."

"School? How old are they?" Near asked.

Grim placed a finger to his chin in thought, "hmmm, well dey just started high school, so I 'tink dey're about 14 years old."

Near simply mumbled in response before he walked over to the sofa and crawled onto the seat; he pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his shins as he blankly stared at the TV.

Grim soon joined him on the sofa, carrying an entire container of ice cream along with several bags of junk food. He plopped himself down on the cushions, changed the channel a couple of times, and began to eat his snacks.

Near peered up at a clock that hung up alongside the nearest wall and read: 2:35 pm. He quietly sighed to himself and joined Grim in watching the bright TV screen that was in front of him.

Hours effortlessly passed, and the clock now read 4:01pm.

At this point in time, Grim had fallen asleep with his head resting against the back of the sofa; the entire container of ice cream was now completely empty and about half of the other snacks were also gone.

Near sat cross-legged in a corner, staring at a spider that was carefully spinning a web. He was thinking about the series of events that he had just experienced, especially that dark place where he was sent after he died. Near recalled the fear that he felt there - the sheer terror. Is that what death is like? No, it couldn't be. Armonia said that when humans die, they stop existing. And yet -

Suddenly Near heard the front door open and then close as two pairs of footsteps approached the living room.

**End of chapter 3**

Author's Note: Ok, I hope this chapter was better than the last one. I couldn't really get to the part where Near met Billy and Mandy, but rest assured, in the next chapter you will get what you want. Until then, if you liked this chapter, please leave a comment. Thanks! :)


	4. Chapter 4: First Encounters

**Chapter 4: First Encounters**

Near stared silently at the entrance to the living room, waiting for whoever just entered the house; the two pairs of footsteps were getting closer as Near's gaze on the empty doorway seemed to intensify.

He heard talking, or what sounded more like incoherent babbling, coming from just beyond the living room. It sounded like the voice belonged to a boy, possibly a teenager by its pitch and volume. As the footsteps got closer, Near could start to understand what was being said; although the voices were just beyond the doorway, Near remained still and quiet.

Finally, two individuals walked into the living room and continued onward to the kitchen, completely unaware of Near's presence. The first person who entered was a young boy, about Near's age, who goofily strode into the room with a wide, toothy grin. He had a noticeably large nose that protruded out away from his face; his small, beady eyes were complimented by his bright orange hair that was partially covered by a large red cap. He wore a white t-shirt that had a blue horizontal line that wrapped around it; he had on baggy blue jeans and a stylish pair of red and white sneakers (one of which wasn't even tired correctly).

The second individual was a young blonde girl, the same age as the boy next to her. Immediately, Near realized that she was the same girl whom he saw displayed on the refrigerator. Her face was still the same, adorned with a rough scowl and a general feeling of indifference. However, that was where the similarities ended. Aside from her frown, the girl seemed to be somewhat different from the one who was in the photo.

The first difference that Near noticed was the fact that she had changed her attire; instead of the pink dress, she wore a pink t-shirt that stopped just below her hips, and she also sported a black skirt that ended just short of her knees. The second difference was her hair; she no longer had a headband, instead, her hair(that was much longer now) was tied at the back of her head into a pigtail that fell gently against he back.

The two teens made their way into the kitchen, and the blonde girl opened the refrigerator to retrieve a half full bottle of water. She took a swig of the liquid as the boy beside her continued to chatter.

"Hey, Mandy" the boy said, in a sort of unintelligent voice, "if I can hold my breath for a whole five minutes, can I have the rest of your ice cream?"

The girl, Near deduced as Mandy, rolled her eyes before she responded in a somewhat disinterested tone, "Sure, Billy, whatever. Knock yourself out."

"Ok!" the boy, Billy, said with a salute before he took in a large gasp of air and held it.

Eventually, his face started to get blue and he fell to the floor with a thud, unconscious.

"What an idiot," Mandy mumbled with a sigh as she took another sip of her water.

She nonchalantly looked around the room and spotted Grim, sleeping on the sofa. The TV was still on, so she walked over to the remote and picked it up. She pressed the 'power' button, and the screen immediately turned black. As she was turning back around, she spotted Near in the corner and quickly widened her eyes in surprise.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?!" She yelled, pointing in his direction.

Although Near was still facing the corner with his legs in the criss-cross position, his upper body was partially rotated to face the startled blonde girl.

"Greetings…..'Mandy', I believe? Forgive me for such an introduction, my name is Near. I was invited here by Grim, although he's not exactly awake to confirm this."

The moment of surprise was gone, and Mandy returned to her natural scowl again as she stared at the white-haired teen.

"Why are you here?" she sternly asked in a warning tone.

Near uncrossed his legs and began to stand up, "i'm not entirely sure, but if you ask Grim, he might be able to give you an answer."

Mandy stood still, eyeing the strange boy from head to toe. Eventually, she leaned closer to the sleeping shinigami and tapped Grim on the shoulder to wake him. He only groaned slightly in response before he continued to snore. She gave him an irritated glare and immediately poured the rest of her water onto Grim's skull-like head.

The cloaked reaper leapt up from the sofa in surprise and then stood angrily in silence as water dripped from his clothes onto the now soaked floor.

"Mandy," Grim growled, "care ta tell me why ya decided ta douse me with water? Ya could've just woken me up, girl!"

Mandy crossed her arms in defiance, and, while ignoring Grim's response, she gestured to Near in the corner.

"Grim, who is that? And what is he doing in my house?"

"Oh, dats right," Grim said with newfound clarity, "Mandy, this is Near. Near, this is Mandy."

Near slightly nodded his head, "It's nice to make your acquaintance."

"Whatever," the blonde girl replied, unimpressed.

There was an awkward silence before Grim decided to speak up again, "uhhhh, anyway. *Ahem* Near is going to be spending some time in dis town and needs a place to stay, so I thought dat it would be best if he could live here."

That last sentence came out carefully, mainly because Grim knew how heartless Mandy could be.

"I see. Oh, you poor thing," Mandy said with obvious sarcasm, "You just want a place to live, huh? Well, guess what - it's not going to be here."

"Mandy, have a heart," Grim said, aware of the irony of the Grim Reaper telling someone to 'have a heart'.

"Shut up, Grim!" Mandy spat. She then turned to face Near, "and YOU…..get out."

There was a delayed response before near nonchalantly stood up completely and headed for the doorway. He slowly passed Mandy before he suddenly stopped and looked back at the blonde girl.

"Oh, by the way," Near said, almost in a whisper, "I was wondering…..why do your parents hate you?"

Mandy's eyes widened - first in shock and then in anger. She gritted her teeth and balled her fists as he erily turned to face the teenage boy.

"What did you just say?" she growled.

Grim started to get concerned. Sure, he had seen Mandy angry before, but this time it was different - this time he saw utter rage. It wasn't just on her face either, he saw it everywhere on her body; her knuckles began to crack from the shear strain of her balled fists, and her face looked like it was getting redder by the second.

Near repeated his statement, "I said, why do your parents -"

Suddenly, there was a blur and Near watched as Mandy angrily shoved him up against the nearby wall.

"Why the hell would you say that?! You got some kinda death with or something, you little shit?!" Mandy screamed at the boy who, oddly enough, wasn't at all scared of the blonde girl's rage. His calm eyes seemed to study Mandy's face, and his soft features remained still. He wasn't afraid of her at all.

"It's obvious what your parents think of you," he peacefully replied, "all of the clues are here. Just take a look at the refrigerator."

With a snort, Mandy swung her head to look at the refrigerator and then glared back at Near, confused by what he was referring to.

Near, noticing that she wasn't quite understanding his point, continued to speak, "i'm of course referring to the family photos. Out of all of the pictures displayed on the refrigerator door, only one of them has you in it. Assuming that your parents view the placement of photos on the fridge as being emotionally important, then it is safe to deduce that they do not think of you as significantly relevant. To them, you are something that they cannot emotionally connect with and, therefore, cannot genuinely care for. In fact, the majority of the other pictures are either composed of themselves together or with other people - never with you. So, to me, it is evident that your parents do not love you."

Then, there was nothing but silence for several minutes. Mandy slowly lowered her head as she released Near from her grasp; her arms lifelessly fell to her sides and she took a step back. Her face was hidden by shadows as Near stared ahead at the young girl in front of him.

"Leave….now," she said, although her demand came out like a quiet murmur.

Near continued to study the blonde teen, examining her from head to toe.

"Ah, I see," he finally said, "they may not feel much for you,... but it has become apparent to me that you love them deeply; however, you don't look like the type to show it - THAT is your weakness."

"Love?" Mandy immediately questioned, "i've never felt something stupid like that."

She then lifted he face, revealing her standard frown again, "what kind of fool do you think I am?"

Before Near could answer, there was a sudden voice next to him that was somewhat loud, and startling.

"Hey, Mandy, how long did I hold my breath for?!hee, hee. 5 minutes wasn't even that hard at all!"

The other boy from before, Billy, got up from off of the ground and strolled over to the others.

"Hey, who's this guy?" Billy said in confusion once hear saw Near.

"Billy, stop wit da yelling, will you?" Grim began irritably, "his name is Near, and we're trying to figure out where he can live for awhile."

Billy looked at Near, then at Mandy, and finally at Grim.

"Well, can he stay with me at my house? It'll be like a really long sleepover!" he exclaimed as he shot his arms into the air with excitement.

Grim sighed before giving in to the happy redhead, "...fine, Billy. He'll stay at your house. C'mon den Near, let's go."

As the group of three started to head out onto the porch, Near was quietly stopped by Mandy.

"Hey, if you ever talk to me again, I will punch you in the throat," she said with a deep growl.

Near stared at her for a second before responding, "no matter how much you claim to not feel love, you cannot simply ignore your feelings. If you want a better relationship with your parents, I suggest that you put yourself in their shoes and try to change according to what you want your relationship with them to be like. If you remember anything, remember this: good relationships are not suppose to be easy, they are suppose to be earned."

With that, the white-haired teen turned around and followed Billy and Grim down the sidewalk with the former chatting up a storm. Mandy watched them continue down the path, all the while wearing her signature scowl. Once they left and were gone from sight, she walked back inside and closed the door. Once inside, the blonde girl leaned her back against the door and let her scowl fade away into a look of pondering silence. She allowed her features to soften and she solemnly stared down at the linoleum floor and her emotions slowly took over.

**End of chapter 4**

Author's Note: Hey guys, how am I doing so far? Please let me know! This chapter was somewhat difficult, mainly because I had to think about how these two characters( Near and Mandy) were going to interact with one another. The next chapter may have more to do with Near and Billy, but…..we'll see. Anyway, until next time. Goodbye, and Thanks! :)


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